The invention relates to a vertical carrousel having a plurality of bearers circulating in a housing, of which bearers one in each case can be transferred into the region of a loading and unloading opening provided on the front and/or rear side of the housing.
Vertical carrousels of the abovementioned type, which are also referred to as paternoster cabinets or paternoster conveyors, frequently have only one loading and unloading station, which is arranged on the front side of the housing and can be closed by at least one sliding door. Only in isolated cases, such as vertical carrousels, intended for use in large warehouses of industrial facilities, is a loading and unloading opening also provided on the housing rear side. Reasons favoring the arrangement of loading and unloading openings on the front or rear side of the housing are not only to conform to the basic design of a vertical carrousel but also to provide good accessability of the bearers of the vertical carrousel transferred into the region of the loading and unloading opening, over their entire width.
Investigations concerning the use of known vertical carrousels as tool stores in modern production systems have shown that the tool flow from the tool store to the machine tool is often unsatisfactory. For example, many changes in direction and comparatively long transfer distances cannot be avoided if the vertical carrousel is next to the machine tool fitted with tools.